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　　More than a halfmillion volunteers(志愿者)are taking part in an international movement to comb the world’s shorelines for cigarette butts, bottle caps and any other rubbish they can find．

　　The International Coast Cleanup is in its 14th year, with volunteers ready to collect more than 10 million pieces of rubbish along 19, 308 kilometres of shoreline in 70 countries．

　　Sponsored(赞助)by the Centre for Marine Conservation and several other non-profit groups and corporate sponsors, the activity is a one-day attempt to improve conditions on important waterfronts．

　　Cigarette butts are by far the most common item, with exactly 1.616,841 million picked up and counted in the last year’s cleanup．They were followed in numbers by food wrappers, plastic pieces, bottle caps and broken pieces of glass．The global event is held on the third Saturday of September．

　　Last year, the biggest volunteer army from any one country was in the Philippines, where nearly 300,000 people took part in the cleanup．With more than 7,000 islands, the Philippines is among the countries which have the longest shorelines．

　　“Around every main body of water, we have a rubbish problem,” said Sheavly, director of the Center for rubbish program．Bad weather with some hurricane affected some plans, but thousands of volunteers were ready to go, she said．

　　About 20,000 divers are joining to clean up offshore rubbish, with major underwater efforts in the United States, the Philippines, Germany, Italy, Australia, Venezuela and El Salvador．

　　Globally, less than 20 percent of shore rubbish clearly comes from the water．The most appears to come from land sources．

　　Part of the effort is counting the rubbish．Volunteers carry cards to record their collections, which will be piled and used for studies of how to settle the problem year-round．

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　　The first modern Olympic Games was held in Athens(雅典)in 1896 and only twelve nations participated it．Besides the host nation，many participants(参赛者)were tourists who happened to bein Greece at the time．Though the whole affair was informal and the standard was not high, the old principle of the sport was kept up．

　　Since then, the games had been held every four years except during the interruption of the two World Wars．This was definitely a departure(背道而驰)from the old Olympic spirit that wars had to stop and make way for the games．

　　The games have grown in scale and physical performances have now reached unprecedented(空前的)heights．Unfortunately the same cannot be said about their moral standard．The modern games are now held in different cities all over the word．Politics and commercialism get involved for the honor to hold the games because of the profit．In the 11th games held in Berlin in 1936, Hitler who had newly come to power in Germany tried to use the occasion for his Nazi propaganda(宣传)．For the first time the Olympic flame was brought all the way from Olympia to the games site in relays, a marathon journey now often taking months to finish．The last relay runner lit the huge symbol torch high on a pedestal(火炬台)above the stadium on the opening day, and with great pomp and fanfare(壮丽多彩)the opening ceremony began．

　　The Games of the 24th Olympiad, Beijing 2008, will take place from 8th to 24th, August 2008．The Games will play host to the 28 summer sports．About 10,500 athletes are expected to take part in the Games with around 20,000 media bringing the Games to the world．

　　On 11th, November, 2005, the Organizing Committee for the Games of Beijing 2008 has launched the five official mascots(吉祥物)for the Beijing Games at a show, to mark the 1,000-day countdown(倒计时)to the Opening Ceremony of the Games．The five mascots are officially called the Five Friendlies．They are Beibei, the fish; Jingjing, the panda; Huanhuan, the Olympic flame; Yingying, the Tibetan antelope; and Nini, the swallow．The first syllables from their two-syllable names form a line that reads“Beijing Huanying Ni”, or in English - “Welcome to Beijing”．The mascot’s colours were chosen in line with the colours of the Olympic rings．

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　　One of the greatest killers in the Western world is heart disease．The death rate(率)from the disease has been increasing at an alarming speed for the past thirty years．Today in Britain, for example, about four hundred people a day die of heart disease．Medical experts know that people can reduce their chances of getting heart disease by exercising regularly, by not smoking, by changing their diets, and by paying more attention to reducing stress(压力)in their work．

　　However, Western health-care systems are still not paying enough attention to the prevention of the disease．There is a need for more programs to educate the public about the causes and prevention of heart disease．Instead of supporting such programs, however, the U．S．health-care system is spending large sums of money on the surgical(外科的)treatment of the disease after it develops．This emphasis(强调)on treatment clearly has something to do with the technological advances that have taken place in the past ten to fifteen of years．In this time, modern technology has enabled doctors to develop new surgical techniques．Many operations that were considered impossible or too risky(有风险的)a few years ago are now performed every day in U．S．hospitals．The result has been a huge increase in heart surgery．

　　Although there is no doubt that heart surgery can help a large number of people, some people point out that the emphasis on the surgical treatment of the disease has three clear disadvantages．First, it attracts interest and money away from the question of prevention．Second, it causes the costs of general hospital care to rise．After hospitals buy the expensive equipment that is necessary for modern heart surgery, they must try to recover the money they have spent．To do this, they raise costs for all their patients, not just those patients whose treatment requires the equipment．The third disadvantage is that doctors are encouraged to perform surgery－even on patients for whom an operation is unnecessary－because the equipment and expert skills are there．A government office recently stated that major heart surgery was often performed even though its chances of success were low．In one type of heart surgery, for example, only 15 percent of patients improved their conditions after the surgery．However, more than 100,000 of these operations are performed in the United States every year．

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　　Global climate change report warns of ice-free Arctic summers by 2070．The Arctic ice-cap is melting at an unexpected rate, according to one of the most authoritative(权威的)studies on global climate change．Arctic ice is half as thick as 30 years ago．In the same period the size of ice has reduced by 10 per cent．

　　A warmer Arctic could cause sea levels to rise nearly a meter by the end of the century, flooding many coastal regions and perhaps stopping the Gulf Stream(墨西哥暖流), which brings warmer water and weather to northern Europe．Climate change is not just in the future; it is happening now．The Arctic is warming at twice the global rate．

　　If present rates of change continue, there may be no ice in the Arctic in the northern hemisphere summer by 2070, according to the study, to be discussed on Tuesday at an international conference in Iceland．The report is the most completely undertaken on the Arctic region, and is the product of the eight countries－Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the US．

　　Warming could be slowed by cutting emissions(散发)of greenhouse gases, but that would need to be done soon．As Arctic ice melts, global warming is likely to speed up．As the ice reflects much of the sun’s heat back into space, a lessening ice cap will mean that more heat is absorbed by the earth．On the other hand, a warming Arctic could make shipping easier, as the journey between the UK and Japan could be shortened by 10 to 12 days by a route through passages that are ice-bound(束缚)today．Besides, the Arctic region is believed to have 25 per cent of remaining oil and gas reserves, and melting ice may improve its accessibility(接近)．

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　　These days a green building means more than just the color of the paint．Green building can also refer to environmentally friendly houses, factories and offices．

　　Green building means “reducing the impact(影响)of the building on the land”, Taryn Holowka of the U．S．Green Building Council in Washington, D．C．,said．

　　According to Holowka, building account for(占了)65 percent of total U．S．electricity use．But green building can reduce energy and water use．Also, the building are often located near public transportation such as buses and subways, so that people can drive their cars less．That could be good for the environment, because cars use lots of gas and give off pollution．Green buildings are often built on developed land, so that the buildings don’t destroy forests．

　　Marty Dettling is project manger for a building that put these ideas into action．The Solaire has been called the country’s first green high-rise building．According to Dettling, “We’ve reduced our energy use by one-third and our water by 50 percent．”

　　The Solaire cuts energy in past by using solar power．“On the face of the building we have solar panels which change the sun’s energy into electricity,” Dettling explained．

　　The Solaire also has lights that automatically turn off when people leave the room．In addition, the building has lots of windows, allowing people to use the sun for light during the day．The Solaire cuts water reusing it．

　　Not everyone is eager to move into a green building, however．Some people think that things like solar panels cost more money than more traditional energy sources．Anyhow, Holowka said, “It’s going to be big．”

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　　Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy．They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for its stadium(运动场)and theatres, its shops and restaurants．The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii’s people．They do not see them because Pompeii has no people．No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2,000 years．

　　Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000 people．It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano(火山)．Mount Vesuvius had not erupted(喷发)for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe．But they were not．

　　In August of AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted．The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air．Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii．When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes．Almost all of its people were dead．

　　For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash．Then, in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii．Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug．The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD 79．There were streets and fountains, houses and shops．There was a stadium with 20, 000 seats．Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii．Many glasses and jars had some dark blue color in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine．They liked bread, too; metal bread pans were in every bakery．In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread－a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today．Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup．

　　Ginseppe has died, but his work continues．One-fourth has not been uncovered yet．Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii．

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　　An annoying problem for humans, who like to boast(夸耀)about all the distant planets and moons we have explored, is that we’ve never taken a good look right under our noses．The inside of the earth is relatively close, but how can we get there?

　　The deepest oil well enters only six miles into the crust(地壳)(the center of the earth is about 4, 000 miles deeper)．Russian scientists dug the deepest hole in Siberia, but bottomed out at about 7.5 miles below the surface．The Mohole project, a U．S．plan in the 1950s, called for drilling a hole 25 miles down to the boundary(分界线)between the hard rocks of the crust and the soft mantle(地幔)．Sadly the project involved government supporting．

　　It gets harder and harder to drill deep into the earth because rocks get softer and softer．Hard but easily broken at the surface, rocks become plastic at depth, and the pressure caused by the weight of the overlaying crust－about 52, 800 pounds per square inch at a depth of ten miles, makes further drilling impossible．

　　What little we know about the inside of the earth comes from indirect evidence, such as the analysis of earthquakes．

　　So maybe it’s time for a thorough new method to explore the earth’s inside．Scientist David Stevenson says we should forget about drilling holes．Instead, we should open a crack(裂缝)．

　　Stevenson suggests digging a crack about a half mile long, a yard wide, and a half mile deep but with an explosion on the scale of a nuclear bomb．Next, he’d pour a few hundred thousand tons of molten(熔化的)iron into the crack, along with a robot．The iron, thicker than the surrounding crust, would move downward at about 16 feet per second, carrying the robot with it and opening the crack deeper and deeper．The iron mass would drop for about a week and 2, 000 miles to the outer edge of the earth core, the robot sending out data to the surface．

　　Stevenson compares his idea to space exploration．“We’re going somewhere we haven’t been before,” he says, “In all possibility, there will be surprises．”

　　This idea can probably be put in the drawer marked with Isn’t Going To Happen．The robot would have to survive temperatures that would melt pretty much anything．But Stevenson’s idea may inspire a new look at an old problem．Great things can come from what seems like impossible ideas．

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　　Paricutin was born in Mexico in February, 1943．At that time, Paricutin was 500 feet high, and it is now over 9, 000 feet high．Today Paricutin is asleep．

　　What is Paricutin? It was the first volcano(火山)in the world which was seen from its birth right up to the present day．On February 20, 1943, a peasant and his wife set out to work in their corn fields from the Mexican village of Paricutin．They were surprised to find the earth warm under their feet．Suddenly they heard noise deep in the earth and a small hole appeared in their field．In the afternoon there was a sudden loud noise and stones were thrown high in the air．The peasants ran from the field and turned to watch．They saw the birth of a volcano．

　　Large quantities of stone and lava broke out and a little hill began to form．By evening this hill was 100 feet high and hot ashes(灰烬)were falling on the village．At night the strong light of the hot lava lit up the countryside．The trees near the village were killed and the villagers had to leave their houses．When the village was destroyed, its name was given to the volcano．The news quickly reached Mexico City, far to the east．Many people came to watch the scene．The volcano grew and grew for ten years and hundreds of square miles of forests were destroyed．Then Paricutin went to sleep．

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　　Have you ever seen the pictures of those suffering people who struggle every day for just a few drops of water? Water is not a never－ending resource, but a precious resource that is more valuable than anything else on the planet．Water is the most important thing for life, even greater than food．But drinking water is less and less．It is important that people understand this and saving water is the proper thing to do．

　　According to a senior official, China is facing a water crisis more seriousthan any other country in the world．Measures must be taken to save water in its cities．The crisis is caused by widespread drought, pollution, rapid economic growth and waste．

　　It is important to use water wisely．With so many ways to save water, here are the highlights to help you save water around your home．By following these simple suggestions, you will save money on your water bill．

　　Vegetables and fruit should be washed in a bowl rather than under a running tap and the leftover water can be used for watering plants．Never put water down the drain(排水沟)when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or cleaning．

　　Avoid washing the toilet unnecessarily．Do not use your toilet as a wastebasket．Take shorter showers．Do not let water running while shaving, brushing your teeth or washing your hair or face．Recently, Singaporeans were urged to shower a minute less as part of a national water conservation effort．

　　Operate automatic dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are fully loaded or properly set the water level for the size of load you are using．

　　By thinking carefully about your water use in the home and changing some waterwasting habits, it is easy to save water．

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　　The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means(通讯设备)．Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems．One of the biggest is pollution．To pollute means to make things dirty．Pollution comes in many ways．We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it．

　　Man has been polluting the earth．The more people, the more pollution．Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people．When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, Man moved to another place．But this is no longer true．Man is now slowly polluting the whole world．

　　Air pollution is still the most serious．It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution．Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water．Noise pollution makes us angry more easily．

　　Many countries are making rules to fight pollution．They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air．

　　Pollution bycarbon dioxide is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution．It is caused by heavy traffic．It is true that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution．

　　The earth is our home．We must take care of it．That means keeping the land, water and air clean．And we must take care of the rise in population at the same time．